WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a rule change that prohibits home care workers from making any automatic deductions – including union dues and health care premiums – from their Medicaid-funded paychecks. In response, AFSCME President Lee Saunders issued the following statement:

“Home care workers work incredibly hard, caring for loved ones and the most vulnerable people in our society. They deserve respect for the vital jobs they do. Instead, this anti-worker administration is attacking their right to organize and enjoy basic benefits afforded to other workers, such as health and dental insurance, which will hurt them and the people they care for. This is a vicious, outrageous attack against their freedoms, and AFSCME members across the country will stand together with home care workers in this fight.”

AFSCME's 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.